Typewriter



s. KIER TYPEWRITER Sept. 29, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 13, 1958Sept. 29, 1959 s. KIER 2,906,388

TYPEWRITER Filed May 13. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wi W4 United StatesPatent TYPEWRITER Sven Kier, Esbjerg, Denmark Application May 13, 1958,Serial No. 734,941

7 Claims. (Cl. 197-18) The present invention relates to a typewriterhaving a drive mechanism to provide the force of impact.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a typewriterin which the impact of the types is derived from an electric motor andwhich operates. very rapidly and reliably.

This object is in the main achieved by the type bars being mounted on arotor revolving with a regular speed of rotation and provided withorgans holding the type bars in neutral position on the rotor andpermitting them to swing out one at a time, so that during the rotationthey will impinge against the sheet of paper placed on the cylinder ofthe typewriter. In order to make the type bar swing out by depression ofthe corresponding key, each key is connected with an engagement devicewhich, when the key is depressed, will engage a projecting arm on therotor, so that this arm will cause the type bar concerned to swingoutwards. Otherwise the typewriter may be constructed in the usualmanner, for instance with springs to carry the keys back to neutralposition and with a carriage bearing the turntable cylinder.

Other objects and details of the invention will appear from thefollowing specification under reference to the drawing in which Fig. 1shows in perspective a typewriter according to the invention,

Fig. 2 in diagram a rotor for the typewriter with appurtenant keys,

Fig. 3 a section through line 33 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 a section through line 44 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 a section through line 5-5 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 a segment of Figs. 3 and 4 on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 7 asegment of Fig. 4 on an enlarged scale.

in the drawing 1 designates types, each of which is fastened to a shortarm 2 mounted on a short axle 3. Axles are turnably mounted in a part 4of the frame of a rotor connected with an electric motor. Axles 3 aremounted on a cylindrical surface in relation to the axis of therotor-and each carries a cylinder-shaped locking device 5 provided witha deep notch 6 and in connection therewith a curved surface 7 ending ina notch 8. The rotor is provided with two sets of types with appurtenantarms 2, axles 3 and locking devices 5, the two sets being placed one oneach side of a central plane at right angles to the rotor axis. The arms2 are placed at a tangent to the said cylinder surface and at anoblique. Axles 3 are almost parallel to the rotor axis.

The frame of the rotor further carries axles 10 extending parallel tothe rotor axis and situated on a cylindrical surface of smaller diameterthan that on which axles 3 are mounted. Each axle 10 carried an outwardprojecting arm 11, which in Figs. 4 and 6 are shown in engagement withthe notch 6. Each axle 10 is further provided with a radial, outwardprojecting arm 12. These arms 12 are distributed over the length of therotor.

At the side of the rotor on the frame 24 of the typewriter, key arms 13,14, are mounted on pivots 15. To one arm a key 16 is fixed. The otherarm carried an ice upwardly projecting push rod 17 on which a link 18 isturnably mounted carrying an engagement device in the form of an arm 19.A spring 20 fastened to the frame of the typewriter will constantlypress against an expansion of arm 19. On one side of arm 19 acompression spring 21 is mounted and on the other side a fixed rest 22.Each arm 19 is situated in the plane of travel of the organ 12 actuatingit. Close to the rotor and parallel thereto a turnable cylinder 23 ismounted.

When, the typewriter is in operation the rotor is by means of anelectric motor and a gear transmission not shown in the drawing butplaced in a casing 25 on the frame, made to rotate with considerablespeed. The type bars 2 are held in neutral position by the engagement ofthe arm 11 in the notch 6. When a key 16 is depressed the push-rod 17will be lifted and thus also arm 19. When the corresponding arm 12 onthe rotor during the rotation reaches arm 19, it will impinge againstthat arm and thereby be forced to the rearward whereas arm 19 will swingforward against spring 21. By the further revolution of the rotor arms12 and 19 will disengage and arm 19 will under the pressure of spring 21swing over until it impinges against rest 22 where it is held by thefriction exercised by spring 20. When the key 16 is disengaged and bymeans of springs, not shown in the drawing, is moved upwards to itsinitial position, arm 19 will by organs not shown in the drawing againreturn to position in extension of push-rod 17. When arm 19 has beenswung over against rest 22 it will be outside of the track of arm 12,and the latter cannot therefore be actuated again even if the key 16 iskept depresed for more than one revolution. By the swing of arm 12 axle10 will be turned so that arm 11 will be disengaged from the deep notch6. Thereby the locking device 5 will be released and arm 2 and type 1may swing outwards, and due to the centrifugal power created by therapid rotation this swinging motion will start at once and continueuntil notch 8 engages the hook at the end of arm 11. This position ofarm 2 is shown in Figs. 3 and 6, in the latter by stippled lines. By therapid rotation of the rotor the type is made to impinge against thecylinder 23, as shown in Fig. 3. By the rebound, or possibly by means ofspecial controls, arm 2 is after the impact caused to return to itsinitial position and the hook of arm 11 will again engage the deepnotch. For this purpose arm 11 may be spring-loaded. The typewriter willthen be ready for depression of the same or another key. The rate ofrotation may be adjustable. It should be so high that at normal writingspeed two keys will not be depressed during one revolution of the rotor.A locking mechanism may be provided to prevent the simultaneousdepression of two keys. In order that types 1 in each of the two setsmay be made to impinge against the cylinder at the same spot, namely inplane 9, axles 3 may be slightly inclined so that during the swing thetypes will move a slight distance in the axial direction of the rotor.Axles 3 may form tangents to a helical line on the cylindrical surfaceconcerned, or they may have one end inclined inwards in the cylindersurface and the other end outwards, or they may be inclined in bothsenses. The arrangement of the axles in inclined position will make itpossible to have the types situated at an angle when in neutralposition, whereby the diameter of the rotor may be made as small aspossible. The longitudinal motion of the types may also be brought aboutby an axial arrangement of the axles when the latter are controlled intheir bearings by a helical groove. Each arm 2 may have two, or possiblymore, types offset in relation to each other in the longitudinaldirection of arm 2. Correspondingly the cylinder may in the usual mannerhe movable in the vertical direction to receive the impact of thedifferent types.

The embodiment shown in the drawing and described above is to beconsidered only by way of an example, as many variations may becontemplated within the scope of the invention. The embodiment describedmakes it possible to have the type released during the rotation wipeagainst an ink pad, which may be a rotating pad, so as to obviate theuse of a typewriter ribbon.

1 claim:

1. Typewriter, comprising a frame, a cylinder turnably mounted on theframe, a rotor mounted in the frame with its axis of rotation parallelto the axis of rotation of the cylinder, a number of type bars pivotedon the rotor in such a manner that they may swing outwards or inwards inrelation to the rotor and in swung-out position having the type situatedin a plane at right angles to the axis of the rotor, the said planebeing identical for all the type bars, means to cause the rotor torevolve at regular rate of revolutions, a releasable locking device foreach type bar placed on the rotor and in locking position holding thetype bar in swung-in position and when open releasing the type bar sothat it may swing outwards, a projecting arm for each type bar pivotedon the rotor on an axis parallel or almost parallel to the rotor axis, aconnecting link between the said arm and the locking device, so thatwhen the arm is swung in one direction the locking device will be movedinto locking position and by the swinging of the arm in the oppositedirection into release position, the said projecting arms being placedeach in its plane at right angles to the axis of the rotor, a key foreach type bar mounted on the frame, an engagement device for each keyand the corresponding projecting arm movable between a position in whichit will be in the track of the arm and a position in which it will beoutside the track of the arm, and connecting media between each key andthe corresponding engagement device so that when the key is depressedthe engagement device will be carried into the track of the arm and whenthe key returns to initial position the engagement device will becarried out of the track of the arm.

2. Typewriter as claimed in claim 1, in which the type bars in swung-inposition will be to all intents and purposes at a tangent to the rotor.

3. Typewriter as claimed in claim 1, in which at least part of the typebars in swung-in position will be in one and the same plane at rightangles to the axis of rotation of the rotor.

4. Typewriter as claimed in claim 1 in which each type bar is providedwith a fixed disc with two notches angularly ofi-set in relation to eachother, and in which each locking device comprises a pivoted arm providedwith a member which may engage and disengage either notch.

5. Typewriter as claimed in claim 1 in which the engagement deviceconnected with the key is resilient in the direction of rotation of therotor.

6. Typewriter as claimed in claim 1 in which the type bars are so placedthat their pivots will be almost parallel to the axis of rotation of therotor.

7. Typewriter as claimed in claim 1 in which the type bars are placed onpivots forming a slight angle to the axis of rotation of the rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS904,743 Weston Nov. 24, 1908 2,446,851 Ruderfer Aug. 10, 1948 2,613,796Prouty Oct. 14, 1952

